Monday, 29 July 2013

Koya

Back in
March I popped into Koya in Frith St with
my Dad for a mid-week dinner. It’s been on my list for a few years, and I was
delighted to finally make it there. Although the likes of Bone Daddies and
Tonkotsu are far more in vogue, I’ve been keen to try this stalwart of udon for
ages and I’m glad I did.

I ordered
the Buta Miso with cold udon noodles which was super tasty. A flavourful, salty
and smoky broth, that was absolute balm on this particular evening as it was
freezing cold and raining outside. With pork mince, a savoury paste that I’d
never experienced but really enjoyed, and some chopped spicy green chilli, and
spring onions it was a really satisfying bowl of soup. I wasn’t as keen on the
noodles to be honest. They were much thicker and dough-like in consistency than
I was expecting – but I am going to give them a few more tries before
disregarding them.

My Dad
ordered the ‘Ten Curry Don Donburi’ or in other words prawn tempura with a
curry sauce served over rice. This was delicious and moreish – in fact so
moreish that we ended up ordering another, full portion of prawn tempura –
fantastic. The curry was mild and creamy, the prawns juicy and succulent and coated in a crisp and flavourful light tempura batter.

We also
ordered a special that was available that particular day – a lemon sole dish
that was presented in a way I’ve never seen before and that was so, so clever
and intricate, I would imagine it took great skill to prepare. The whole fish
was served on a bed of shredded lettuce and with a wedge of lemon, and somehow
the chef had managed to remove the entire skeleton of the fish, so the entire
backbone was sticking out of the fish at a jaunty angle. Aside from looking
impressive, the fish was superb. The fish had been fried and the crispy, skin
on the outside was crunchy, salty and delicious, whilst the delicate white fish
on the inside was cooked to perfection - light and flaky, with its almost
gentle flavour.

We enjoyed
a very satisfying meal in Koya which came
in around the £70 mark and I would certainly return – but next I must try some
of the other udon places that are now dotted all around London.